1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a drier device for photosensitive material. More particularly, the present invention relates to a photosensitive material drier device, in which the photosensitive material can be protected from being damaged or jammed.
2. Description Related to the Prior Art
There are various automatic photosensitive material processors, including a photo film processor and a printer/processor. The printer/processor consists of a printer component in which images on developed photo film are printed on color paper, and a processor component for automatically developing the color paper. The processor component includes a drier device for drying photographic paper after being processed with various kinds of procession solution. There is a known type of drier device including nip rollers or rollers arranged in a zigzag manner, which contact an emulsion surface of the photographic paper for conveying the photographic paper. A serious problem occurs in this type as the rollers are likely to create damages due to the contact, traces occurring upon pressure of the rollers, unevenness in surface gloss, or the like. This problem is very remarkable as the photographic paper is still wet to a halfway extent before the end of the drying operation.
There are known techniques in which a fan for suction is used for conveyance in suction of the photographic paper, or air for drying is applied to the photographic paper on an endless conveyor belt to keep the photographic paper in tight contact with the endless conveyor belt. Another suggestion is disclosed in JP-A 9-43826, a Japanese patent application filed by the assignor of the present application. A photosensitive material drier device includes a fan suitable for blowing the photographic paper on the endless conveyor belt with air sent through an air blow case, and includes an air intake case behind the endless conveyor belt for suction of the photographic paper to the endless conveyor belt, for the purpose of reliable conveyance.
However the known drier device has such shortcomings that irregularities in the drying occur, that front corners of the photographic paper are likely to enter slits formed in the air blow case to extend in the width direction of the photographic paper, and that jamming of the photographic paper occurs. Even when the photographic paper is not jammed, the corners may be bent and seriously damaged.